


Yin and Yang

by Nariva



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Big time skips, Crazy Azula, Dragons, Fire Lord Azula, Firebending & Firebenders, Gen, Identity Issues, Insanity, Insecurity, Loyalty, No Incest, No Romance, Possessive Behavior, Protective Siblings, Royalty, Secret Identity, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-11-03 20:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nariva/pseuds/Nariva
Summary: While hunting for the Avatar, the Crown Princess is attacked by earthbending assassins. A masked man comes to her aid.





	1. Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is twelve when she becomes Crown Princess.

     Azula kneels obediently before her father as the Fire Sages begin the ceremony, their flames encircling her as she only halfheartedly listens to their words. She's giddy with excitement, a childish delight she carefully hides behind a solemn expression. It won't do for her to be seen grinning, not when she's supposed to be mourning the death of her brother. He had only been formally declared dead this morning, though she knew he'd been dead long before then. The girl risks an upward glance at her father, taking in his grim visage and subdued demeanor with awe. For having killed his eldest child, the Fire Lord was truly the best actor she's ever born witness to- if she hadn't known better, she'd have thought her father genuinely heartbroken at the loss of his son. The girl lowers her head, forcing her lips downward as a smirk threatens to ruin it all. Poor little Zuzu- how had father done it? In person? No, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that she is Crown Princess.

No one is standing in her way anymore.

Today is the second best day of her life.


	2. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the hunt began.

     Tales of a piercing blue light creep into the court, and the nobles whisper behind their fans of paintings with eyes that glow. The flames that surround her father's throne are deceptively low, but they simmer with a quiet intensity that makes the hair on her neck stand straight. She bows before him, sweat beading her brow as the heat of his fire stifles the room.

     "These... rumors," he says, his voice low, "you know of them."

     "Yes, Father," she answers. For a moment, he says nothing, and she holds her breath. His flames silently rise, their crackles a whisper that should have been a roar. Restraint- a testament to her father's fury.

     "Find him," he orders, and she finally looks up, meeting his gaze. " _Bring him to me_." She lowers her eyes, presses her head back to the floor in submission to his will.

     "Yes, Fire Lord Ozai."

 

     She is no fool. The Avatar has had years to perfect his bending; and decades of experience- how many benders has he fought over the course of his life to better arm himself against the Fire Nation? And if Azula leaves the Fire Nation with fleets of their best benders, the coward will only disappear once more. She must be small, then, unnoticeable to a world that treacherously favors the Avatar. She must strike how he least expects it, from an angle he would not consider. That is why she spends the night writing letters, sitting in the light of a single candle as she decides on who will accompany her. As the light of a new dawn rises, Azula presses the stamp of the Fire Lord to them, and waits. It is the Yuyan archers who arrive first, two silent men who kneel before her, their bows laid out at her feet. The spear wielder, in the company of the swordsman, come at mid day. Stars light the sky above when the last of her chosen arrive, Mai as quiet as ever, a nervous Ty Lee at her side. Azula smiles, graciously invites them into her room, and when they've gathered before her, she tells them the reason for their calling. The Yuyan unquestioningly accept her word, though she can see uncertainty in the eyes of the others. She doesn't worry. No matter their personal feelings on the matter, they _will_ follow her lead.

     As the others abandon their armor and finery in favor of rougher clothing, she slips into loose fitting peasant wear. Dismissing them to wait outside, Azula ties her hair back; slides her sword into place. Be small, she repeats the thought, strike from where he least expects it. With that goal in mind, she gathers her companions and starts for the docks. She finds the General standing at the foot of her ship, patiently awaiting her arrival. She should have known he would be there. Azula crosses her arms, considering him as he gives her a smile. He is an old man broken by loss and grief... but he is also the Dragon of the West. After a moment of silence, she accepts him. And so seven becomes eight.


	3. The Masked Swordsman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The masked man comes when they are surrounded.

         When Azula first sees the masked man, she thinks he is a spirit. He certainly moves like one, fluid and graceful, as he weaves his way through the Omashu assassins before her. Like a dancer of old, her mind whispers, and she agrees with the thought as he effortlessly sidesteps boulder after boulder. The tide of the battle now turning firmly in their favor, she adds her fire to the mix, and he moves to fight at her side. No, she realizes, not just at her side, _with_ her. By all accounts, it shouldn't work. She is a prodigy in the art of firebending; he bends no element. Her strikes are short, fierce, devastating, while his swords sweep in long, flowing slashes. Their forms, polar opposites, should fail them when combined. They _don't_. Azula descends on her surprised attackers with brutal quickness, and he gracefully flows around her every move, swords tracing the paths her fire burns. She... has never experienced anything like this before. None of the soldiers she had brought with her can match her step for step. They always fall short in some way- striking high when they should have struck low, moving too slowly to keep pace with her, or wilting in the face of her brutality. Even Ty Lee and Mai, for all their shared hsitory, fail to move in complete tandem with her. That no longer matters. Now, she has _him_. Blood splatters across her clothing, her face, and she feels only exhilaration as she sets their enemies ablaze. They strike towards the heart of the assassins, the arrows of the Yuyan clearing them a path, and her new shadow is perfectly in step with her as they reach the leader. She enjoys incinerating the man, looking beyond his brightly burning body to observe the carnage they have made together. The threat neutralized, the warrior stands to her left, sheathing his dual broadswords as the others cautiously regard him, facing their weapons downward, but not away.

     "Your orders, Princess?" Enau asks, cautious as ever. Oh. They think- He flinches as she breaks into light laughter, going stiff as she casually brushes him aside. Her warrior stands just as still as she examines him, unmoving under her gaze. Azula doesn't know who he is, why he interfered, or where he comes from. She does know one thing, though. He is _hers_.

     "You," she addresses him, "why did you help me?" The masked man doesn't answer, instead moving to kneel before her. And oh- it's a _Fire Nation_ bow, a _proper_ one _._ Her warrior is a Fire Nation citizen. This makes things so much easier, now that he's not some Earth Kingdom peasant who had simply been in the right place at the right time. She is the Crown Princess, and he is from the Fire Nation. He's hers through and through.


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He misses their homeland.

     She welcomes her warrior into her room, ignoring the suggestive look the General sends her way. She merely wishes to discuss her... no, Azula has to reconsider that. He has yet to speak a single word to any of them, and she wonders now if he even can. She shakes away the question, pulling her door shut as she turns- and finds the warrior seemingly rooted to the metal floor. A bang slips free as she tilts her head at his behavior, and she ignores it as she speaks.

     "Warrior?" He doesn't answer, his golden eyes unblinkingly fixed on the back of her room. Puzzled at his odd reaction, she looks to where he has, but finds nothing out of place. His footsteps make barely a rustle on the thatched matt as he slowly moves forward, and Azula follows a step behind, wishing to see what has so affected him. What she finally lays eyes on baffles her. The banner of their nation- a black flame set against red. The Princess frowns, cocking her head once more as she leans against the wall and watches him through narrow eyes. Her warrior slowly reaches out, his fingers stopping just shy of touching the banner. She goes still as he takes a small, ragged breath, carefully watching the man before her. He lets loose a shuddering exhale, finally pressing his fingers against the threading. His hand clenches suddenly, holding tight to the banner as he presses his mask to the fabric of the flame, his shoulders shuddering with emotion. Azula watches- and smiles. Her soldiers have been cautious around the man, weary of letting a possible saboteur into their midst. The Crown Princess knows what they suspect; fear- that he an Earth Kingdom assassin sent to gain her trust; that he will strike her down if she falls for the act. Azula knows what acting looks like- rehearsed reactions, timed movements, a thought out process of events- and this? This was no act. He **_misses_** their homeland. Just how long had the man been in the Earth Kingdom, and why? He'd proven himself to be a capable fighter, what was keeping him from returning to the Fire Nation? She rolls her shoulders, dismissing the subject as she tucks her bangs back behind her ears. Whatever it is, he will no longer need to worry. When she returns to their homeland with the Avatar, her warrior _will_ be at her side.


	5. General

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The General saves her warrior.

     Her soldiers take them by surprise, a fact that greatly pleases her. The young Avatar and his companions _had_ been expecting fire benders- faced with a type of foe they have little experience with, the group makes amateur mistakes, loses ground faster than even Azula had anticipated. Only the water tribe boy fights against her small force with measurable success, forcing Enau back with an unorthodox sword swipe. But the warrior is there to fill the spear wielder's position, slipping beneath the boy's swing to ram the hilt of his left sword into his jaw. The peasant reels back in pain, crying out, and the warrior is forced to dodge the enraged water bender's power. Azula steps forward at that, letting her flames climb up her own sword as she unsheathes it. Everyone but the General responds with surprise, and she doesn't smother her smile as the girl takes an uncertain step backward. The swords of Agni are rare- _extremely_  difficult to make, and thus are hardly ever seen on the battlefield. Azula, however, is the Crown Princess. _All_ that Fire Nation has is at her disposal, including the skills of those few capable of making them. The children retreat further in the face of their attack, the little Avatar ducking in and out of ramshackle houses, when it happens. The earthbender girl yanks the ground out from under her, sealing her ankles in tight as her friends strike out. Water, earth, air- the three elements hurtle towards her- and her warrior slams into the ground in front of her, spreads his arms wide as he braces to take the blow. Fool, she screams on the inside, her eyes going wide, it'll kill him!

And an arch of flame breaks through the attack, a heat so intense that even Azula rears back, difficult as it is to move. The General follows up with a wide, sweeping gesture, his fire arching towards the children like a wave. They scatter then, use their momentum to splinter off and flee into the forests. Her small force retreats to her position, watches the tree line as she claws her legs free. They waste precious minutes as her circulation returns to normal, and by that time, her mood is foul enough that only the General and the warrior stand near her. She tucks her legs under herself, prepares to try to stand, and the warrior is there. He reaches out to her, offering his hand, but she takes his wrist instead; digs her nails in tight.

     "You _fool_ ," Azula hisses, and his shoulders hunch, "what were you thinking? _Never_ do that again." He hesitates, then ducks his head in acknowledgment, retreating to be with the Yuyan as she stands on unsteady feet. Now with only the General beside her, she can no longer avoid looking at him. He gives her a wide grin when she meets his gaze, back to being as carefree as ever. Azula swallows her pride, lowers her head a fraction towards him. Her warrior is alive because of him, she will not fail to impress upon the man her thankfulness.

     "Thank you," she murmurs, her voice low, "Uncle."


	6. Uncle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was on the brink of victory when he betrayed her.

     Azula lowers her arm, grinning widely as the Avatar falls, the water bender surging forward to catch him. Stupid child, he'd left himself wide open to attack.

     "Take them alive," she commands, raising her voice to be heard by the Dai Li as she stalks towards her fallen prey. _Finally_. After months of relentless pursuit, she'll finally deliver the Avatar to her father, finally see the palace again. Movement to her left catches her eye, and she watches in confusion as the warrior takes a desperate, sprinting leap, his swords flashing out as he whirls midair to knock aside a sudden lance of fire. She stares in mute shock as he lands hard and rolls to his feet, swords coming to point towards, towards Uncle? The older man leaps down from the his vantage point, comes to stand _between_ them and the Avatar.

     "I'll hold them off as long as I can," her uncle shouts back to the water bender, turning to face Azula and the warrior as the peasant struggles to lift the Avatar.

     "What- what are you _doing_ , Uncle?" Azula demands, the hated feeling of betrayal creeping up on her as the older man shakes his head with sorrow.

     "Something I should have done long ago," he says, closing his eyes. "I tried to lead you down the right path, Azula, but... I see now that I can't save you from yourself." She can't stop a wounded snarl as the implication of his words fully hit her- unredeemable, dangerous, _monster._

 ** _Just like mother_**.

     "You-" Azula hisses, but her- no. The _traitor_ interrupts her, his gaze turning to the warrior who stands between them.

     "I know your teachers," he says, "they would have killed you if they'd thought you were beyond redemption. You've seen firsthand how the Fire Nation works," he continues, looking back at her, "they would devastate the other nations! _Please_ ," he implores him, "help me save the world from our people!" And the warrior... stands there. Looks at the traitor, then to her. Beneath his blue mask, golden eyes shimmer as he searches her face. She feels her insides lurch at his look, her lips peeling back as her eyes narrow. No. No, he cannot betray her. She won't allow it!

     "How dare you," she spits at the traitor, her hands clenching. " He's mine, I won't let you take him from me!" The traitor closes his eyes at her words, shakes his head in sadness.

     "All her life she's used fear to control people," he tells the warrior, "imagine her on the throne, imagine what she'd to do our people! I have a duty to stop that," he says, solemn, "and so do you." The warrior's eyes flicker to the ground, and Azula inhales sharply as he slowly shakes his head, gestures with a clenched hand to his heart, then to her. Her. He'd picked her. The tightness inside eases at that, and she turns to the traitor with a grin.

     "You've failed," she says, breathing in deeply as she reaches for her inner flame, "your last mistake." He closes his eyes, grief clouding his features, and prepares to hold them off. As one, they attack.


	7. Love Triumphant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only fools believed in love.

     The guards hold Mai, and Azula shakes her head in bafflement as she watches the distant forms of the Avatar's friends and the traitorous General disappear.

     "I never expected this from you," she says, looking back at the girl before her. Movement to her left confirms that Ty Lee and the warrior have rejoined them. "The thing I don't understand," she continues, "is _why_?"

     "I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do," Mai replies, scorn in her eyes. "You miscalculated," she continues, and Aula's hands twitch at that. "The General was right, you'll only ruin our nation. I couldn't let that happen, because I love the Fire Nation more than I fear you." Love? Azula sneers at the petty notion, her tempter flaring.

     "No, _you_ miscalculated," she spits, "you should have feared me more!" Mai jerks her arms free of the guards at Azula's words, knives glinting in her hands, and Azula hunches, pulling tightly on her inner fire as- Metal flashes from the corner of her eye, and she has only a split second to feel gut wrenching betrayal as the warrior's swords swing toward her. No, he _can't_ -! And then Ty Lee cries out as her fists slam into the flat of the swords, the girl stumbling back as she clutches at her hands. _What_? The warrior pivots on his foot, spinning to press his back to Azula's as he faces the chi blocker. He's-! Azula sucks in a hard breath, her eyes swinging back to focus on Mai as she moves to finish the bending forms to summon her lightening. Mai doesn't give her that chance, tackles her and knocks all three of them over in a desperate attempt to stop her. The princess snarls, reaches up to clutch Mai's hair and wrench her head to the left, pulling a scream from her as she rolls with the motion to straddle the girl. Just one blow, Azula thinks, ignoring the pain of Mai's nails tearing through the fabric of her sleeves. _Just one blow_! She raises her right arm high, blue flames wreathing her hand as she brings it down to burn the traitor's pretty face. A mistake- she loses track of Ty Lee, and the girl kicks her square in the face. Azula lands hard, her hands fly to her cheek. Spared the blow, Mai rolls to her feet, knives flicking down to rest between her fingers as she draws her arms back and flings them forward. The Princess rolls to her right, the blades screeching across her chest plate. The warrior strikes then, his swords flashing out to cut a single line across the underside of Mai's forearms, and the woman cries out, stumbles back as she clutches her wounds.

     "Mai!" Ty Lee cries, sprinting around them to tug at her upper arm. "Let's get out of here!" Too little, too late. More guards pour into the area, circling the group as Azula slowly rises. She clutches her neck, pain throbbing through it with every movement, and watches as the guards once more secure the traitors.

     "What should we do with them, Princess?" one asks, and she spits blood, bares her teeth at the two of them.

     "Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again," she orders, "and let them _rot_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how bad this scene was, I'm not good at writing action.


End file.
